PEACHLAND

Lee Grant Allison was born May 15, 1925 in Hillsborough and died June 18, 2010 in Autumn Care Nursing Home after a lengthy illness.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. Monday in Peachland Baptist Church. Interment followed at Peachland Cemetery. The family greeted friends Sunday from 6:30-8 p.m. at Leavitt Funeral Home.

Allison and his family came to Peachland in December 1950 from Durham to stay six months and ended up staying for 60 years. Allison had completed his degree at what was then North Carolina State College in Raleigh and was contacted to fill an agricultural teaching position at Peachland High School when the position became open at mid-year. Allison would later say that he and his family liked the Peachland community so much they decided to make it their home.

Allison attended Hillsborough High School and afterwards joined the Navy and served from 1943 to 1946 during World War II in the south Pacific. When he returned home, he enrolled at NC State College and received a degree in Agricultural Education. He began teaching agriculture at Peachland High School and taught there from 1950 to 1960. He moved to Anson High School in Wadesboro when county high schools were consolidated. He later returned to N.C. State and received his master’s degree, obtained his principal’s certificate from Appalachian State University and finally, an advanced graduate degree in education from UNC-Chapel Hill. He served as principal of Anson High School from 1965 to 1972 and Bowman Senior High School from 1972 until his retirement in 1985. He received the 1985 “Excellence in Education Administration Award” from the N.C. Association of School Administrators— the highest award presented to principals by the organization.

After retiring, Allison served as an Anson County Commissioner for District 4 from 1986-1998. He enjoyed working for the people of Anson County. Among his many noted accomplishments was the doubling of the size of the water filtration plant and the expansion of distribution lines providing water to more families throughout the county.

Farming was also a very big part of his life. He grew up on a farm in Orange County and after moving to Anson County, purchased a farm in the White Store Community, raising poultry and cattle.

A faithful member of Peachland Baptist Church, Allison attended regularly until declining health forced him to stay at home. Over the years, he served as a deacon, financial secretary, Sunday school director and Sunday school teacher.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Eddie and Blanche Allison; a brother, Ervin Allison; three sisters, Jane King, Anne Byrd, and Marie Gates; and two granddaughters, Leah Allison and Hilary Ross Carpenter.

Allison was married to Margaret Haithcock Allison for 62 years and in addition to his wife, is survived by their four children, Charles Lee Allison and his wife, Marilyn, of Peachland, Edward Carr Allison and his wife, Kathy, of Shelby, Arlene Allison Carpenter of Polkton, and Harvey Grant Allison and his wife, Sandy, of Weddington; 10 grandchildren; four great-granddaughters; two brothers, Fred Allison of Durham and his wife, Faye, and David Allison and his wife, Brenda, of Bennett; and a sister-in-law, Rachel Allison of Raleigh.

Memorials may be made to Peachland Baptist Church, P.O. Box 146, Peachland, NC 28133,

Leavitt Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.leavittfuneralhomewadesboro.com.